Jayli Wolf Refuses To Be Silent in Video for New Single 'Hush'

Members of the LGBTQIA+ community have been forced to hide for far too long, but Indigenous and Queer artist Jayli Wolf refuses to be silent on "Hush"-the sophomore release and precursor to her forthcoming EP Wild Whisper due out June 18th.

The empowered doomsday cult survivor turned activist, actress, filmmaker, and alt-pop singer-songwriter-producer made an unforgettable entrance with the launch of her award-winning debut "Child of the Government" this year. As we continue to follow Jayli Wolf on her journey towards redemption, "Hush" opens another gateway for post-traumatic growth and enlightenment. With stirring poetic vocals over lush electrified sonics, the three-and-a-half minute song is amplified by an alluring visual in which a liberated Jayli Wolf takes full ownership of her sensuality and unfettered bisexual orientation.

The new single unpacks the multi-hyphenate act's earliest memories of passion and self-discovery, ultimately plunged by her mother's family members (devoted Jehovah's Witnesses). "I felt immense shame around the truth and who I am. My first true love with another girl (a fellow cult member) was filled with guilt and shame. We would pray together for forgiveness over the desires that we had every day. I believed Jehovah would destroy me in Armageddon," Jayli Wolf explains, "Being free now, my deprogramming has also allowed me to question the societal conditioning around relationships and sexual orientation. I hope this song brings people feelings of power and freedom in their own personal explorations."

Like many in the LGBTQIA+ community, coming out and coming to terms with her sexuality was a long, often guilt-ridden process-one that was exponentially difficult in a high-control religious group. While this is her story by her definition, "Hush" serves as an ode for all seeking to advocate their queerness and find power in their truth.

Jayli Wolf is an Anishinaabe/Cree artist and creative based out of Toronto, Canada. She is a Jehovah's Witnesses doomsday cult survivor and works to be a role model in her community-speaking to Indigenous youth about the entertainment industry and inspiring them to follow their dreams. Together with her partner and collaborator Hayden Wolf, she started creating music, producing, and directing films as Once A Tree. Their releases and self-directed visuals since have resulted in praise from Billboard, CBC, Clash, Complex, Exclaim!, HYPEBEAST, PEOPLE, MTV, NYLON, Rolling Stone, The FADER, Vice's Noisey, among others.

The rising star now begins a new solo musical journey to explore her past, present, and future as she tells the tales of the hardships her family endured-from the genocide inflicted by the Canadian Government on her father's side and the exodus of leaving the doomsday cult she was born into on her mother's side, to releasing the shame and guilt instilled in her around her bisexuality. The Wild Whisper EP (due out June 18th) is a musical and visual exploration of Jayli Wolf's experience leaving the Jehovah's Witnesses religion she was raised in, working through issues concerning mental health, sexual abuse, and high-control religious groups. The six-part narrative concludes with the celebration of life and lessons learned, moving forward through trials and tribulations, and the reclamation of her Indigenous heritage.

In March, "Child Of The Government" arrived alongside a chilling short film that was written, directed, and produced by Jayli Wolf herself. The short film later won 'Best Music Video' at Venice Shorts of California (an IMDb qualifying monthly and annual festival). Upon release, the single took Canadian radio by storm and Jayli Wolf landed on the cover of Spotify's Indigenous playlist which was spotlighted on their Yonge and Dundas Square billboard (equivalent to Spotify's billboard in New York City's Times Square). To date, Jayli Wolf's solo project has been featured on several playlists including Spotify's New Music Friday, Misfits 2.0, and SALT, plus Apple Music's New Music Daily, Breaking Alternative, INDIY, among many others.

The debut offering from Jayli Wolf exhibits her family's experience during the Sixties Scoop, where the Canadian Government and Catholic Church were responsible for taking or "scooping" more than 20,000 First Nation, Métis, and Inuit children from their families and communities in the 1950s through the '90s. The children were placed in foster homes or adopted (with accounts of children even being sold) into non-Indigenous families across Canada, the United States, and beyond. Along with the loss of cultural identity, the government went so far as to change some children's true ethnicity on file. Many experienced severe sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. Jayli Wolf's father was one of these children.

By sharing these vital messages of justice and rebirth, Jayli Wolf authentically connects with her community by-way-of her music and social media, including her viral TikTok video that has reached over half a million viewers and received countless comments from people whose Indigenous family members have had similar experiences.

"I finally have the courage to use my voice to tell these stories. I hope this project will be able to shed light on and raise awareness of these subject matters," Jayli Wolf notes, "We can forgive for our own healing. The road ahead is long, and change takes time."

Listen here:

Photo Credit: Hayden Wolf

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